Peas - Health Benefits And Harms

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 02:10

The benefits and harms of peas

What do we know about peas? It makes an excellent soup, mashed peas, filling for pies, salad and vinaigrette is difficult to prepare without canned green peas. There is hardly an adult or a child who does not like to feast on the juicy and sweet "shoulder blades" of young shoots of this vegetable.

Someone will remember the saying “The belly makes peas oh!” - this is, perhaps, all the knowledge about this common product. Meanwhile, green, dry, and canned peas have valuable properties, have an extremely useful composition, and can be used to prevent various diseases.

Content:

• The benefits of green peas
• Protein content in peas
• Do canned peas retain their benefits?
• What are the benefits of dry peas?
• Useful properties of pea seedlings
• Harm and contraindications
• Peas for diabetes

The benefits of green peas

Each pea is the real quintessence of the periodic table, its composition is so varied and nutritional value is high. The unique composition of peas, when consumed regularly, has a positive effect on human well-being and health.

Composition and calorie content

• Fats: 1.2 g
• Proteins: 24.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 60.4 g
• Water: 11.2 g
• Ash: 2.7 g
• Cellulose: 25.5 g

Vitamins (per 100 g):	amount	% RDA
Vitamin K	81 μg	67.5%
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	5555 mg	46.8%
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)	2 mg	40%
Vitamin B4 (choline)	95.5 mg	19.2%
Vitamin B3 (PP, nicotinic acid)	2.4-2.7 mg	12.8%

Minerals (in 100 g):	amount	% RDA
Boron	670 mcg	957.1%
Vanadium	150 mcg	375%
Silicon	83 mg	276.7%
Nickel	120-358 mcg	159.3%
Cobalt	13.1 μg	131%
Molybdenum	84.2 μg	120.3%
Copper	530-850 mcg	69%
Manganese	810-1750 mcg	64%
Phosphorus	323-498 mg	51.3%
Potassium	968-1550 mg	50.4%
Iron	4.6-6.8 mg	38%
Zinc	3100-4900 mcg	33.3%
Zirconium	11.2 mcg	22.4%
Titanium	181 μg	21.3%
Selenium	13.1 μg	20.2%
Sulfur	190 mg	nineteen%
Chromium	9 μg	18%
Lead	1.5-1.9 mcg	17%
Magnesium	18.7-115 mg	16.7%
Rubidium	11.6 mcg	11.6%
Strontium	80 mcg	ten%

Other important connections:

• Phytosterols - 135 mg (245.5% of the RDI)
• Purines - 70 mg (56% of the RDI)
• Oxalic acid - 6 mg (1.5% of the RDI)

Peas are capable of accumulating the toxic ultramicroelement lead (in 100 g - 17.0% of the daily norm) and the toxic trace element strontium (respectively - 10.0%).

Complete chemical composition ➤

Beneficial features

Useful properties of green peas:

• It is a source of protein, used for weight loss as part of various diets;
• Natural sugars (glucose and fructose) enter the bloodstream without the help of insulin, which has a positive effect on the health of patients with diabetes mellitus;
• Pyridoxine in peas improves skin condition and prevents seizures;
• Selenium, carotene and ascorbic acid actively work to counteract carcinogenic processes;
• Chlorophyll helps control calcium levels in the human body;
• Green peas are a source of vitamin a if not combined with starchy foods;
• Natural sugars in the composition of the product stimulate brain activity, improve memory and cognitive functions of the brain;
• Suspends aging processes;
• It is used to get rid of edema;
• Antioxidants in the composition of the product stimulate the immune system and help resist infections.

Green peas are very useful for pregnant women due to their high content of folic acid, which is responsible for the formation of the fetal nervous system. The potassium and calcium in this product helps preserve the woman's skeletal system during pregnancy.

Protein content in peas

Due to their high protein content, peas are among the most nutritious vegetables. The calorie content of peas is slightly higher than the calorie content of medium-fat beef, it is 341 kcal. In 100 g of peas, according to data from various sources, there can be from 7% in a cooked product, and up to 25% of protein in fresh sugar green peas of certain varieties. Peas are widely used as a high-protein food and forage crop.

Do canned peas retain their benefits?

Green peas were preserved by farmers in Holland as early as the 16th century. A hundred years later, the technology of harvesting young grains spread throughout all European countries. For canning, unripe beans of hulling or brain peas are selected. Properly harvested green peas retain many beneficial properties, although they are pasteurized at 130 ° C.

Useful properties of canned peas:

• Helps normalize blood cholesterol and glucose levels;
• Recommended as a dietary product for obesity, stomach ulcers, chronic gastritis;
• Helps with detoxification in case of poisoning and elimination of hangover syndrome.
• It is a source of easily digestible protein for pregnant women and children from 2 years of age, enriching the diet with microelements and healthy foods;
• Promotes the rejuvenation of the elderly body by regenerating weakened tissues.

You should not eat a lot of canned peas for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, patients with gout, people with a tendency to urolithiasis and children under 2 years of age.

What are the benefits of dry peas?

Dry peas are offered to the consumer in whole and in crushed form (halves). It may be yellow or greenish in color and must be waterproofed to protect it from moisture. The calorie content of 100 g of dried peas is 352 kcal. It, like green peas, contains a large amount of nutrients.

The composition of dry peas (in 100 g):

• Proteins - 23.8 g;
• Fat - 1.1 g;
• Carbohydrates - 63.7 g;
• Vitamins of groups B ₁, B ₂, B ₃, B ₅, B ₆, B ₉, C.

The product is used in dietary food for vascular diseases and tuberculosis. Peas help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, which is the prevention of atherosclerosis. A wide range of minerals and vitamins has a positive effect on the condition of hair, nails, face and body skin.

Prevention of cancer and vision problems, stimulation of fat metabolism - all these qualities of dry peas are attributed to its medicinal properties. It is undesirable to eat dishes made from dry peas in case of violations of purine metabolism, kidney and digestive tract diseases.

Useful properties of pea seedlings

Seedlings of cereals and legumes are considered healthy foods that stimulate the body's defenses and regeneration.

Sprouted peas properties:

• Prevention of anemia;
• Detoxification of the body;
• Normalization of blood sugar indicators;
• Prevention of cardiovascular diseases, pathologies of the genitourinary system;
• Regeneration of the digestive tract after intestinal disorders;
• Rejuvenating effect on the body.

A huge amount of valuable nutrients: vitamins, valuable minerals, protein allows the use of sprouts in baby food and in the diet of vegetarians. A large amount of essential amino acids in pea seedlings stimulates the activity of the reproductive organs of men and women, and normalizes the functioning of the prostate gland.

Sprouting peas - a quick guide:

• Rinse the pea beans, put them in a container, add water at room temperature.
• Leave the peas for 12-15 hours.
• After this time, rinse with water, cover with a damp cotton cloth, fill with water.
• Leave the peas for 48 hours.
• Rinse and eat.

According to method 2, pour boiling water over the peas, grind them after germination and pour boiling water over again. The cooled beans can be eaten. This is how a tasty and healthy product is obtained. Pea sprouts are added to any salads, eaten with soups.

Harm and contraindications

Peas contain a large amount of purine compounds that increase the level of uric acid in the human body. Uric acid provokes the accumulation of urates in the joints and urinary system, which cause gout, urolithiasis, and kidney disease. For those who have a history of the following diseases, it is better to refrain from eating peas:

• Nephritis,
• Cholecystitis,
• Gout,
• Thrombophlebitis
• Arthritis,
• Diseases of the digestive tract,
• Thrombophlebitis.

Patients with gout should remember that peas are characterized by a high content of the sum of purine bases: in 100 g - 56.0% of the daily value.

Another unpleasant property of peas and dishes made from it is the ability to cause increased gas formation, intestinal distention. During lactation, this ability of peas to cause flatulence is transmitted through breast milk and causes colic in the baby. So that abdominal discomfort and colic do not bother the child, it is better not to eat raw pea dishes and sugar varieties during breastfeeding.

To avoid bloating in adults, you can rinse this product more thoroughly before cooking, do not drink cool drinks and do not eat bread when eating pea dishes, add dill and fennel to them.

Peas are capable of accumulating the toxic ultramicroelement lead (in 100 g - 17.0% of the daily norm) and the toxic trace element strontium (respectively - 10.0%).

Peas for diabetes

When shaping the diet of a patient suffering from diabetes mellitus, it is not easy to find healthy and satisfying foods. It is important that they do not raise blood sugar levels, that is, they have a low hypoglycemic index. These products include peas, the hypoglycemic index of which is 35 units. In addition, peas slow down the absorption of glucose in the intestines - a valuable property for patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes.

How to use peas for diabetes:

• As an ingredient in various dishes: pea soup, pea porridge, etc.
• In the form of pea flour (take 1/2 tsp before meals);
• In the form of a decoction of green pods (boil 25 g of chopped green "shoulder blades" in a liter of water for 3 hours, drink during the day for 4 weeks);
• Raw sugar peas.

This product is beneficial for diabetes when eaten raw and cooked. Peas contain inhibitors of pancreatic amylase, valuable proteins and plant fiber. These beneficial ingredients help to lower blood cholesterol levels, prevent constipation, which often occurs in diabetes.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).